Battle of the San Francisco Peaks
The Battle of the San Francisco Peaks was a battle in the NCR Arizona Offensive taking place shortly after and as a direct consequence of the Siege of Nova Roma, on April 9th, 2282. Background After the fall of Nova Roma, numerous Legion soldiers abandoned the Legion. Many of them founded settlements under NCR protection and eventually even joined the NCR military to fight against their former masters, however, a significant number became raiders, intending to take advantage of the chaos of the war to enrich themselves. About 200 such raiders set up camp in the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks, located north of the city. The San Francisco Peaks themselves are the highest mountain range in Arizona, reaching over 12,000 feet in elevation, with the highest peaks boxing in the Inner Basin. With the exception of the very highest peaks, the mountains are covered with a dense coniferous and aspen forests which, like many forests in the Western US, survived the Great War thanks to their distance from any nuclear strikes. The Basin is accessible only by a pre-war forest road which, by these 2282, was blocked in many places by fallen trees. The ex-Legion raiders set up multiple camps in the Basin, from which they would send out small raiding parties to attack caravans, as well as small NCR patrols, while avoiding the larger forces. Engagement at the Lockett Meadow On April 9th, 2282, the NCR deployed a roughly company-sized force, consisting of an infantry platoon transported in four M51 Infantry Fighting Vehicles, as well two platoons of cavalry and a single platoon of NCR Rangers up the forest road leading into the basin. After about 3 hours of driving, the vehicles managed to power their way over the rough road, pushing aside or cutting trees blocking their paths. Throughout their movement up the road, they were harassed by snipers and hit-and-run raids, however, the firepower of the NCR forces, particularly the heavy guns of the IFVs, forced the attacking groups to retreat before they could cause any significant casualties. The at 1500 hours on April 9th, the NCR raid group reached the main raider camp in the middle of Lockett Meadow. Here, about 30 raiders stood and fought, while the rest retreated into the mountains. The firefight lasted less than a few minutes, culminating in a charge across the meadow by the NCR cavalry. About 25 raiders were killed in the firefight, with only three NCR troops wounded. The NCR forces continued up the old City of Flagstaff pumphouse, as well as a natural spring known as Jack Smith Spring. Upon the arrival of the NCR, most of the raiders once again fled. The engagement was quickly ended when the few resisting raiders were either killed or surrendered in the face of overwhelming firepower. After this engagement the infantry secured the immediately surrounding area while two of IFVs were used to transport the few NCR wounded, as well as the raider prisoners, back to the main NCR forces in Flagstaff. Two more of the IFVs were used to guard the captured raider camp, which was used as a forward operating base for operations in the mountains. Further Engagements After securing the camp, NCR infantry and cavalry were sent to give chase to the retreating raiders, pursuing a large group of them about 2 kilometers along an old pre-war hiking trail to Doyle Spring. At Doyle Spring, a second firefight broke out at about 1700 hours, in which the raiders were quickly routed by the superior NCR numbers. While the cavalry and infantry returned to the forward base at Lockett Meadow, the Ranger platoon continued chasing the raiders into the upper slopes of the mountains. The raiders made their way up to the saddle between Humphrey's Peak and Agassiz Peak, the highest and second highest mountains in Arizona, continuously making use of snipers to slow their pursuers. After the reaching the saddle, the group climbed down the west slope and into the valley. Other smaller groups of no more than twenty raiders attempted to climb over the northern and southern ridges, or attempted to slip past the NCR troops at Lockett Meadow and leave through the eastern entrance to the valley- the same wat the NCR came in. Aftermath The Battle of the San Francisco Peaks was a victory for the NCR, with 45 raiders killed, 80 taken prisoner, and the remainder escaping the valley. The raiders that escaped did not attempt to rejoin the Legion, known full well that they would be executed for their failures. Some of them no doubt abandoned the raider lifestyle and settled in NCR territory, thought many were thought to flee to the north and east, avoiding both NCR forces and the Legion, hoping to reach areas beyond the reach of either faction. Category:Battles